Althea Marie Johnson Sorensen
and
Sharon Dail Sorensen
Great-Grandma Mimi~~Grammy Sharon
A sun-drenched "gathering" room scattered with MOTHERS,
retired-separate-removed-discarded
from decades of child bearing; kissing tender hurts;
scheduling omnipresent activities;
car pooling; silently weeping through private trials; protecting from slights and harm; earning wages; sheltering/protecting physically
mentally and spiritually;
laughing 'til sick-crying 'till dehydrated;
reaching for the Golden Ring to give their child.
Wrinkles like so many "worry beads" grace the prolapsed faces;
cloudy eyes covering, hiding so many memories...
..memories that drift in and out of consciousness,
years having worn the edges away.
Each woman is a single soul,
a single story,
a single history,
a rich and complex tapestry of living life.
SOLO
SOLO in birth.
SOLO in birthing.
SOLO in death.
The sun-drenched gathering room, a tapestry,
is hemmed in pending fear, death, complacency;
welcomed by some, fought by others.
Underneath the worn and frayed covering
is a resilient BATTING,
a rich thickness composed by LIVING.
We spent our last afternoon at Alta Ridge
visiting Grandma Mimi and her fellow "house-mates."
A group of beautiful young women, choosing to live their lives
with care and compassion visit with the residents,
SING to them,
recite POETRY and SCRIPTURE
GRACED the afternoon with a GIFT of LOVE.
Young women from Job's Daughters
Evelyn Swain Furner
Velma Howard Furner
my
BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS.
